The present invention relates generally to computer networks. More specifically, it relates to a system for providing a communication interface between an embedded device and a host to which the embedded device is attached.
A computer can communicate with various embedded devices, such as add-on Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) cards, and the like. A computer to which an embedded device is attached is hereinafter referred as a host. A communication interface between an embedded device and a host is provided by a device driver of the embedded device, which has to be installed on the host. In existing techniques, the communication interface between the embedded device and the host is a register-based, proprietary PCI bridge interface. Protocols used for controlling such register-based, embedded devices are device dependent. All register interaction and control protocols required to operate the embedded device must be specified. This may also require documentation explaining the manipulation of the device registers.
Further, different device drivers are required for different Operating Systems (OSs). It is possible that a device driver for a particular OS is incompatible with a host with a certain hardware configuration. This, in turn, increases the development cost of such embedded devices.
In light of the foregoing discussion, there exists a need for a system that provides a communication interface between an embedded device and a host. The system needs to provide a communication interface that does not require special host-side software.